April in Portugal - Raul Ferrão

[Keith88]

"April In Portugal" is a 1947 song by Portuguese (surprise!) composer Raul Ferrão. It was originally named "Coimbra" for the city in Portugal and popularized by Amália Rodrigues in 1950. It was a hit in the US in 1953, with instrumentals by Les Baxter, Richard Hayman, and Freddy Martin, as well as a vocal version by a young Vic Damone. All of these performances are available on Youtube, as are many others.

The song has an atypical structure: AABAA, with 8 measure A sections and a 16 measure bridge. The B section is unusual in that it is in the tonic (not relative) minor. A lead sheet can be found in The Ultimate Fake Book published by Hal Leonard.

The tune has been given various presentations. It sometimes is played with a sort of tango feel (Baxter, Hayman) or in "two" (Martin), sometimes combining both (Damone). The Baxter and Hayman versions double the tempo of the melody. Of interest is that the Rodrigues performance is appears to be accompanied by nothing but a zither (remember, the "Third Man Theme" played on zither by Anton Karas was a mega hit in 1949 and 1950).

"April In Portugal" is one in a series of forgotten songs from the 1950s and 1960s that I have posted. It and many others of its type are popular with the retirees that I play for. I play the song with the Bolero style at 110 bpm.

I remember this song from my early childhood and it brings back fond memories from that time. I hope you enjoy it.

April in Portugal - Raul Ferrao

From the web:
Coimbra, a riverfront city in central Portugal and the country’s former capital, is home to a preserved medieval old town and the historic University of Coimbra. Built on the grounds of a former palace, the university is famed for its baroque library, the Biblioteca Joanina, and its 18th-century bell tower. In the city’s old town lies the 12th-century Romanesque cathedral Sé Velha.